Gravitational-Wave Signatures of Nonstandard Neutrino Properties in Collapsing Stellar Cores

TL;DR

This paper proposes a new multi-messenger method to detect nonstandard neutrino properties by observing gravitational waves from collapsing stellar cores, revealing how BSM physics can influence supernova dynamics.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach linking neutrino flavor conversion effects to gravitational wave signals during supernovae, highlighting a new way to probe BSM physics.

Findings

Neutrino flavor conversion can enhance proto-neutron star convection.

Enhanced convection leads to large-amplitude gravitational waves.

GW signals can serve as indicators of nonstandard neutrino properties.

Abstract

We present a novel multi-messenger approach for probing nonstandard neutrino properties through the detection of gravitational waves (GWs) from collapsing stellar cores and associated supernova explosions. We show that neutrino flavor conversion inside the proto-neutron star (PNS), motivated by physics Beyond the Standard Model (BSM), can significantly boost PNS convection. This effect leads to large-amplitude GW emission over a wide frequency range during an otherwise relatively quiescent GW phase shortly after core bounce. Such a signal provides a promising new avenue for exploring nonstandard neutrino phenomena and other BSM physics impacting PNS convection.